Category Archives: STAAR

Preliminary HISD STAAR scores show strong gains across multiple grades, subjects, and student groups

Houston Independent School District students showed strong gains that exceeded those made by the state in third- through eighth-grade reading and math, and on end-of-course (EOC) assessments in English I and Algebra I, according to preliminary 2018 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores.

“This year, our students made significant progress on the state-mandated STAAR tests,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “We are excited about what these preliminary results mean for our schools labeled by the state as Improvement Required and our district’s accountability ratings. HISD is shifting course and turning schools around. We know that it is critical that we continue our commitment to strengthening the supports in place to further advance our progress in student achievement.”

Overall, the spring administration of the 2018 STAAR grades 3-8 assessment results indicate the district held steady or showed increases in the percentage of students meeting the Approaches Grade Level standard in reading, math, science, and social studies. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves recommendation for external performance audit

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday unanimously approved a recommendation from the Audit Committee calling for an external performance audit.

The Audit Committee recommended an external performance audit be conducted in order to ensure HISD is utilizing scarce resources as efficiently and effectively as possible to inform decision-making and budgeting by the board and administration for the 2019-2020 school year and beyond, and to build public trust by exhibiting good stewardship of public dollars.

Continue reading →

HISD students see gains in state math, science, writing test scores

Seventy-six percent of Houston Independent School District fifth-graders passed the 2017 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness math test — a six-point boost over the previous year and a slightly higher gain than the state average.

Third-graders also saw a four-point bump on the state math test, bringing their average up to 71 percent, which is a four-point boost over last year and also a higher gain than the state.

The math passing rate for all students together in grades three through eight jumped by three percentage points, with almost every grade level seeing a boost. Only sixth grade remained flat. Continue reading →

STAAR scores now available: What you need to know

The Texas Education Agency has redesigned the STAAR student report cards and revised the way students’ performance is labeled on STAAR tests in grades 3-12. The results of the May 2017 STAAR and End of Course (EOC) tests are now available online at www.TexasAssessments.com. Read below to learn how to access your child’s score, how to read the new student report cards, and what has changed with STAAR performance labels. Continue reading →

What’s new with STAAR in 2017

The Texas Education Agency has redesigned the STAAR student report cards and revised the way your student’s performance is labeled on STAAR tests in grades 3-12.

Confidential Student Reports

The STAAR report card your child receives is known as the Confidential Student Report (CSR). These report cards are published for all students taking the STAAR each year. The CSR has been updated to improve communication and transparency with educators and families, as well as to create a more family-friendly report on student progress that highlights growth and improvement as much as proficiency. Continue reading →

HISD fifth- and eighth-graders see significant mathematics gains on STAAR

HISD’s fifth- and eighth-grade students made significant gains in mathematics on the first administration of the STAAR test in March.

Overall, passing rates for district fifth-graders in math increased 6 percentage points from last year, and rates for district eighth-graders rose 5 percentage points. In state results, both fifth- and eighth-grade scores rose 5 percentage points.

Among economically disadvantaged students, passing rates in math increased for fifth- and eighth-graders by 7 percentage points and 6 percentage points, respectively. Continue reading →

TEA revises STAAR performance labels

The Texas Education Agency has revised the way it labels how a student has performed on the STAAR tests in grades 3-12, and the new labels will be used for students taking STAAR this spring. (See STAAR testing dates here.)

Students receive a numerical grade on their STAAR tests, and these numerical grades are grouped into categories that are referred to as “labels.” Previously, a student’s performance was labeled as Advanced, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory. Now there are four categories instead of three. The new labels are as follows: Continue reading →

Free tutorials available for students needing to retake STAAR exams

High school students who need to retake one or more STAAR End of Course Exams have unlimited access to free online tutorials that can help them master the concepts and learning objectives that are challenging them.

STAAR EOC retest exams for English I and II, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History will be given Dec. 5-9.  Students can start preparing for these exams with Apex Learning Tutorials, a districtwide, online resource that allows students to customize their learning to the style they prefer.

A pre-test for each topic is available to help retesters focus on the skills and topics they need to master. The tutorials also offer interactive paths in each topic, such as “Learn it – Try it – Review it – Test it.”

Students can look up their campus code here and enroll themselves in the tutorials.  A “how-to” guide is available here to walk students through the process.

In addition to STAAR EOCs, students can enroll themselves in any of the following classes:

College Readiness – TSI, ACT & SAT
Adapted English 6th – English III
Adapted Math 6th – Algebra II

Questions can be directed to the HISD Virtual School Department at 713-556-7295 or emailed to vschool@houstonisd.org.

State Board of Education seeks public input on assessments and accountability

Make your voice heard regarding STAAR testing, school ratings, and other state accountability programs.

The State Board of Education has launched an online survey to get public feedback, concerns, and suggestions on the state’s current programs.

The survey is available in English here and in Spanish here through June 30.